FPAC Welcomes Progress Report on Caribou Recovery and Commits to Supporting Further Action

Forest Products Association of Canada and its members welcomed the release yesterday of the 5-Year Progress Report on Implementation of the Recovery Strategy for Boreal Caribou. Like all Canadians, we want to ensure that all appropriate measures are taken to help caribou recovery and, like many academics and environmental organizations, we believe decisions must be based on sound science, local knowledge and the most recent research. It is important to understand that our forests are complex ecosystems with hundreds of species of mammals, birds and fish.

The Progress Report confirms what our experience on the ground has told us – this is a complicated issue with multiple factors and different realities unfolding in different parts of the country.

One of the most concerning parts of the Report that cannot be overlooked is that 21/51 ranges do not have sufficient data. We are prepared to bring our experience to bear in working with partners from federal and provincial governments to Indigenous governments and communities to environmental groups to ensure we have the data we need to support caribou recovery.

Forest management is a useful tool in supporting solutions for multiple species recovery not only from the research and insights we have gathered from being in the forest, but also through the renewal of habitat by replanting trees to support local ecosystems, monitoring caribou populations through radio-collaring, deactivating forestry roads after use, and investing in maternal penning projects to protect pregnant cows and calves from predators. Some forest companies are also collaborating with scientists and environmental organizations to find innovative ways to incorporate caribou conservation zones in their forest management plans. We look forward to working with governments and other partners to support caribou and our northern and rural communities.

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FPAC provides a voice for Canada’s wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. The $67-billion-a-year forest products industry represents 2 per cent of Canada’s GDP and operates in over 600 communities, providing 230,000 direct jobs across the country.